Pilgrimage fraud: two arrested

Two men were arrested from Birmingham after a major investigation which targeted victims planning to make a pilgrimage to Mecca.

Mainly the elderly were deceived in and around the Birmingham area resulting in dozens of victims losing around £100,000 between them.

The Hajj Pilgrimage, an important part of the Muslim faith was used as the bait to extort funds from victims wanting to attend this once in a lifetime trip. Victims were promised visa, travel and accommodation, which many of them paid for.

Search warrants were executed across the city and two suspects have been detained on suspicion of fraud by false representation.

The West Midlands police have noted, “Mohammed, 36, from Birmingham lost £4,500 to a Hajj fraud. He felt deeply embarrassed but, importantly, reported the crime to Report Fraud (formerly Action Fraud).”

This is a con which has happened for many years. Police are warning, a significant number of Muslims who have paid for packages to The Hajj Pilgrimage will discover their dreams have been shattered by fraudsters.

Some trips are a sham from the off, whilst others allow travellers to arrive in Saudi Arabia to discover no accommodation or tour package is set up. Illegitimate travel operators seem reliable, but after taking the money they disappear.

West Midlands Police recommend the following to avoid falling into victim to Pilgrimage Fraud:

Do your research. Don’t book without carrying out some basic checks on your travel agency/ tour operator. A recommendation from a friend or family member does not guarantee the authenticity of the outfit. Go online and run a search on the travel company to see if other people have commented on their services.

Make sure your travel company is a member of a recognised trade association such as ABTA. All ABTA members have to follow a code of conduct and meet rigorous entry criteria, minimising the chance of fraudulent companies joining. Verify a company’s ABTA membership.

Do not pay the travel company by cash or by direct bank transfer into an individual’s account. Most legitimate companies will have facilities with a bank to accept credit or debit cards. If you do pay by bank transfer or cash and the company turns out to be fraudulent it will be virtually impossible to get your money back.